Hearing His Silent Symphony

Summary

The studio lights were blinding, casting harsh geometric shadows across the soundproofed walls. On the other side of the mahogany desk sat Dr. Dylan Mercer, the internet’s most celebrated celebrity psychiatrist, leaning into his high-definition streaming camera with that practiced, empathetic tilt of his head. Across from him, bound securely to a heavy wooden armchair by nylon straps, was Miles Hayes.

Miles was a musical prodigy, a twenty-one-year-old internet sensation with over ten million followers who knew him only as the ethereal, non-verbal virtuoso who could pick up any instrument and pull heaven down into the room. But three days ago, the serene boy behind the screen had fractured.